The Path of a Tailed Demon
by artofillusion
Summary: Sasuke seeks Orichimaru to gain power to defeat Itachi, but Naruto strikes a deal with Kyuubi to return Sasuke to the leaf village. Sasuke has to become a demon himself and to achieve his goal, but what is the price? SasuNaru, NaruSasu, KyuubiSasu, Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**The Path of a Tailed Demon.**

**Summary:** Sasuke seeks Orichimaru to gain power to defeat Itachi, but Naruto strikes a deal with Kyuubi to return Sasuke to the leaf village. Sasuke has given his soul to the nine-tailed demon. SasuNaru, NaruSasu, KyuubiSasu, Yaoi.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, do not own Naruto.

**Prolog**

"I'm going to Orichimaru..."

The final showdown between the two rivals was getting to its peak and all of Naruto's attempts at reasoning with Sasuke seemed futile. No matter what he said to the raven-haired prodigy, the former boy utterly ignored his pleas of reason. Naruto's patience was wearing thin, anger and hurt pierced through him sharply, stabbing him over and over. His rival and only friend was leaving him behind and betraying their whole village.

"I can't let you go!"

"I don't care... I don't need anyone, not comrades, nor friends"

"You said yourself that I am your friend", tears streamed down Naruto's face, his blooded body shaking with anger and rage.

Sasuke's crimson sharingan eyes swirled violently as his body emitted the full force kill intend towards his former companion.

"Yes, you are my only friend that is why I must kill you. Our friendship will only weaken me and I won't be able to fulfill my oath... I won't be strong enough to kill Itachi if I stay with you!"

"Is that all you care about, ha Sasuke!" Vicious red chakra danced violently as Naruto growled in menacing voice that was more of a demon than a human. His nails grew to claws; canines extending to form long sharp fangs of a predator, his eyes drown in blood narrowing into slits, as the nine-tailed demon manifested itself in its horrifying glory before the Uchiha heir.

"Is power all you want!" Kyuubi's roar hit the valley like thunder shuddering and splitting earth and rocks near by. The sheer power of the demon's voice froze Sasuke in place, unable to even blink as the fox growled swinging its nine blazing tails chaotically demolishing everything in their path.

"Answer me Uchiha!" Sasuke felt drawn to that mysterious demonic power, drowning in its chaos, never before did he feel so alive. Every fiber of his being danced aflame in the pits of hell and he .. loved it.

"I ..." Unable to utter any more words as the crimson chakra enveloped

him, devouring him whole, Sasuke wished only for one thing: to know nothing

else but this torture of pain and power.

"Stay with me Uchiha Sasuke and I shall grant you this power, power greater than that of Orichimaru or your brother" Whisper, but none too quiet made its way out of the demon's clenched teeth. As though bewitched, Sasuke gave in instantaneously, his mind and body screaming in agreement, anticipating all that the demon could offer him.

The red chakra swirling around raven-haired boy's body gently brought semiconscious Uchiha to lie on the ground healing any serious injuries the boy might have gotten from their fierce battle earlier. Kyuubi came down towards the motionless boy watching him attentively. He kneeled down and gently caressed the pale boy's cheek with his sharp claws drawing a thin line of blood, marveling the power-obsessed beauty before him.

"You are mine now, Uchiha Sasuke..." The whisper turned into a snicker and then rising with volume the sound could have petrified even the bravest. The demon's sinister laugh echoed through the valley terrifying all living beings in its vicinity, disturbing nature itself.

Reviews are greatly appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Nope, do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 1 - The Morning After**

The sun shone brightly through the hospital window onto the clean white bed and its occupant who was now stirring, slowly waking up. His deep black eyes shot wide open as his body flew into sitting position momentarily.

Breathing rapidly the boy placed the palm of his hand onto his forehead wiping away the cold sweat in attempt to get a hold of his involuntary trembling body.

'What happened? Where am I? Naruto... Kyuubi', his thoughts raced in chaos.

The boy struggled to remember what had happened between him and the Kyuubi holder and how he got to where he was. His mind swirled remembering only bits and pieces of what had happened. He was afraid, he recalled. He saw the demon face to face, he remembered the tremendous power and it made his body shudder.

' "I shall grant you this power" ' the voice rang in his disturbed mind over and over, voice filled with terrific power. Yes, he remembered handing himself over to the demon, he remembered the predatory and sinister look in those blood filled eyes of an animal.

Sasuke's body started shaking uncontrollably as his mind relived his memories. He took a deep breath and shattered back onto the pillows trying to gain control over his body once again.

"Naruto..." whisper escaped his lips as he closed his eyes.

Moment later he heard footsteps nearing his room. Louder and louder they became as he tensed hiding his face under a mask of nonchalance and annoyance. Then the footsteps stopped abruptly in front of his door and a shy knock was heard. He did nothing to give away his presence but the door cricked open nonetheless.

Sakura cautiously stepped inside the white room holding one flower in a small vase at her side.

"Sasuke-kun!" The blur of pink rushed towards the bed, where the boy was almost scowling as he saw who his visitor was.

"Sasuke, are you ok? I was so worried about you, I...I don't know what I would have done if you didn't come back!"

Tears were streaming down her gentle face but the prodigy felt nothing for the pink-haired girl who was trying to embrace him. He roughly pushed her aside giving her the annoyed Uchiha glare.

She slightly stumbled backwards awkwardly, hurt flashed in her green eyes momentarily replaced by concern. She slowly walked towards the window and a small table to place the flower on it.

"How did I get here?" He finally said his first word in Sakura's presence in emotionless tone and cold voice earning girl's thoughtful gaze.

"Kakashi found you and Naruto in some valley that looked devastated. He said it looked like it was struck down by some disaster, like a tornado or something. You were both unconscious when he found you, so he brought you here"

"Hn" The boy slightly nodded agreeing with Sakura's story, so far everything she said made sense to him.

"Kakashi said that you had no serious injuries and that you should be able to go home very soon"

Only then did the boy looked over his body noting that indeed his body felt mostly fine, he was only able to detect minor cuts and scratches. However, he remembered having much deeper cuts and even broken bones.

'How did it heal so fast...', the boy wondered.

"How long was I in here?" he asked.

"About a day… Sasuke-kun, do you feel ok?" Sakura noticed that the already pale boy had paled even more and looked a bit stunned for a moment before his face became once again unreadable.

'Could it have been? Even a full day of rest would not heal broken bones and internal damage.. Kyuubi.. It must have been the demon...but why would it care?'

Sasuke's internal discussion was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder which he pushed away by a reflex.

"Sasuke?"

"I'm fine Sakura. What happened to Naruto?"

"Ohh, I haven't seen him yet.." The girl hung her head low in shame for not even checking on her teammate who brought her love back as he had promised.

Sasuke felt disgusted with the girl before him, knowing well that she had not even once thought of Naruto's well being during this whole incident. Just then the door slid open and their sensei's head appeared in the room.

His one eye smiling as he saw that his student was awake and well.

"Yo"

"Hello Kakashi-sensei" the girl mumbled and itched closer to the door under the piercing glare of the infamous Uchiha.

"Well, I see you feel better now, ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn" A nod.

"As you know what you did is considered to be an act of betrayal, but since you were returned here, Hokage will consider letting off this one and forgiving you if you agree to stay here on your own will."

Kakashi's indifferent stance didn't give away any emotions that he felt but Sasuke knew his teacher was anxiously awaiting his answer.

"I will stay here by my own will" the raven-head boy finally said just as indifferently, watching Kakashi's eye as it filed with relief and curved into a smile. Sakura was beaming a bright smile now as well, all guild completely forgotten.

"Well, then I suppose welcome back, Sasuke. You can go home as soon as you wish just stop by Tsunade's office first. See ya" and their teacher disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone.

"I guess I better get going, I sill have to go visit Naruto" she said in a quiet voice as if asking for forgiveness but was interrupted by a loud voice at the door.

"Heh, Sakura-chan no need to visit me! I'm more than fine", the blond walked into the room with a wide grin on his face, just as if nothing has happened.

"Sasuke bastard you feeling better, ne?" he turned towards the pale boy smirking cheerfully, while the said boy just stared at the blonde trying to associate this loud idiot to the demon that he had encountered.

"Umm, well then see you guys later" Sakura said quickly and left the room closing the door behind her.

Naruto stood in the middle of the room facing the window and staring into the distance, all the cheerfulness wiped off his face in a flash when he heard the door close.

Sasuke feeling a bit uncomfortable now slid onto the floor and start dressing himself glancing over to his blond teammate from the corner of his eyes.

Naruto kept silent the whole time which was very unusual for the loudest mouth of Konoha. Sasuke didn't think he could take it any longer.

"Naruto", he began "I .." He didn't know why he felt a need to say something and even something that would resemble an apology but before he could utter any more words Naruto spoke.

"Dont worry about it, Sasuke" blonde's voice seemed distant almost melancholy, which struck Uchiha and he didn't even bother to hide his astonishment when he looked into the pure sky pools of Naruto's eyes searching for an answer.

"You want to defeat Itachi no matter what it costs, am I right?" Naruto's voice held an air of maturity and seriousness that just seemed like it didn't belong to him.

"Yes" there was no use in lying or averting answers when he practically gave himself to the being that stood in front of him and the demon in him. No use in denying the need and want of Kyuubi's power, he had already thrown away the last of his pride.

A soft sigh escaped blonde's lips as he strode over to stand only a few feet away from Sasuke and said,

"As promised, I will help you, just remember Uchiha that now you are mine" at the last words the blue eyes downed in deep red, mesmerizing the raven-head and sending shivers down his spine.

When the spell broke, Naruto was no longer there. It took a second before Sasuke exhaled the breath that he was holding and collapsed onto the white floor as the words echoed in his mind making him dizzy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Nope, do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 2 – A Line between a Human and a Demon**

It has been a couple of days since he has left the hospital and had a pretty long and tiring talk with Tsunade. She gave him an angry and boring lecture on what he has done and what everyone had to risk in order to get him back here, but in the end she softened and made sure he knew that they were happy to have him back. He was going to continue his training with Kakashi while doing team missions to regain their trust once again.

It was 7 in the morning and he was getting ready to meet up with his teammates at their usual meeting place. Kakashi said they will start their usual schedule today and might have a mission for them. After he was dressed and ready, Sasuke silently closed the door behind him and started off towards the bridge that they usually meet on.

Although on the outside he looked indifferent and composed, his mind was in chaos. Trying to make sense of what Naruto's words meant and debating weather or not Kyuubi was really intent on helping him, Sasuke felt anxiety creeping into him like cold water seeping through the cracks in the ceiling of someone's house.

Did he make the right choice of coming back? As though he even had a choice back then…Will the demon really help him? How will he help him?

Before the dark-haired boy knew it he was standing on the bridge with no other living beings in sight. Leaning on the cold railing he watched the fog covered river as it moved on its own accord oblivious to its surroundings and he wondered again of what will come out of this. He hated the idea of seeking help from his rival but it was the demon who offered it and he could not refuse what he felt when the pure energy of chaos surged through him. There was no going back now, as long as his brother dies by his own hands nothing else would matter to him.

It has been about 2 hours since he arrived at their meeting spot, so far there has been no sign of his blonde teammate, and Sakura, arriving an hour after him, was as annoying as ever, even more so. Sasuke was really getting angry now.

'Did he back out of our deal? Why was he so late?'

Those thoughts troubled young Uchiha to no end and it was really hard to keep up his stoic mask when he had the most annoying and thick headed pink creature clinging to him for her dear life. No really, when will she get it straight in her head that he doesn't give a damn about her or her feelings. He would just strangle her and throw her into the river below them with pleasure if that would not result in adding to his betrayal and being dead short after.

As his slightly less sane thoughts rambled on, their teacher finally made his famous entrance earning a glare and a yell of being late as usual.

"Hai, hai" Kakashi regarded his students with a eye-smile and went on to explain their plan for today which consisted of some training to get back to their proper shape and then a new mission which they would do tomorrow and which details were concealed for now.

"Well, with that all out of the way … we can start the training now"

"Sensei, what about Naruto?" Sasuke had no nerve to keep his concerns to himself anymore; he needed to know if there was something going on which he was no aware of.

"Ohh, yeah Naruto you should join us down here so we can head off" A slight amusement was visible in his eye as he tilted his head upwards towards a tree right behind Sasuke.

In a loud thump, Naruto landed a few feet from Uchiha heir with a wide grin on his face.

"Ohiyo, let's train!"

Sasuke felt he was about to boil over from his rage and attack the blond and orange mesh beside him but only one glance into Naruto's blue eyes held him in place. A look meant only for him, a knowing, wise look so different from his normal self was what Naruto granted his friend.

And so the day went on as though nothing ever came between them except for more than usually annoying and irritating Sakura, but Sasuke had long ago learnt to tune her out.

After a lot of practice and sparring the day was over and the team was heading back to the town.

"Sasuke-kun!" exclaimed an excited Sakura, who being afraid of losing her love again decided to follow him as much as she could so he won't run off again.

"Sasuke-kun, you want to join me for dinner? We can go anywhere you want." Her face was lit brightly with hope but they died in an instant at the boy's usual response.

"No", bluntly and simply he stated his opinion on the matter.

Sakura was about to head towards her own house when she heard Naruto's voice.

"See you in an hour at the usual place, teme"

That caught the pink-haired shinobi's attention but what startled her was not what Naruto said but Sasuke's response.

Instead of his usual 'Dobe' or 'Idiot' or 'Hn' he simply said 'Ok'. She froze. 'Ok'? 'OK'? What the hell is wrong with him! He never said 'ok' to anyone especially to his rival. However, before she could react anyhow the rivals were already heading into their different directions towards their own homes leaving a very confused girl behind.

As agreed an hour later Sasuke was standing in their old sparring spot in the forest. The twilight had already descended and it was getting darker by the minute.

Sasuke found Naruto resting against a tree on the ground soundly asleep or so it seemed. The moment he got into the reaching distant a hand shot out to grab his shoulder and eyes opened to reveal blood soaked pools. Sasuke froze unable to react and found himself pinned to the same tree a moment later staring into those horribly enticing eyes.

"Glad you could make it Uchiha" a low menacing voice whispered so close to the pale boy's face that he could feel hot breath on his cheek.

And as suddenly as he was pinned he was released. He stumbled to keep himself from falling onto the grass and withdrew his kunai in case he had to defend himself.

Naruto's eyes, now back to their natural blue, were watching him with amusement, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What the hell was that for, Dobe?" Sasuke finally founding his voice and couldn't help but to revert to their usual way of conversing even though he was terrified to the bone.

"Ohh, nothing, nothing, Sasuke-bastard, just a joke" Naruto chuckled and took out his own kunai changing into a fighting stance taunting his partner.

"Let us play, ne Sasuke?" and with that he rushed on toward the still bewildered Uchiha.

The fight was fierce. If anyone had watched they would be more than convinced it was life or death fight.

Sasuke knew he could not win against the demon but he was trying his best, fighting for his life and he was more than sure that the blonde would not stop before slicing his neck if he got into that position.

One moment he was standing defensively looking around to stop the blonde's movements the other he was rolling on the grass with the orange mess stuck to him. When they finally came to stop, Sasuke felt the cold metal pressing against his chest and before he could realize what was going on the metal dug deep into his heart as the blood splattered all around them.

Shock and disbelief marked the raven-head's features, his best friend had stabbed him lethally and now he was going to die. He would die without fulfilling his pledge.

'This can't be happening' was the only coherent thought that filled his mind in his despair as he felt his body cool and weaken.

Just as he was about to close his eyes he felt hands where the kunai had been and crimson eyes stared back at him in absolute serenity as if to mock him. However, as Sasuke gazed into them he felt himself falling, and falling he was… into the dark void of red and black.

As he got used to the feeling of falling he realized he was floating in a void. He could not see anything but black, the only thing he felt was some sort of energy not at all familiar to him but not freighting nonetheless. He felt surprisingly peaceful and thought that if it is how to be dead, since he was sure he wasn't living any longer, he didn't mind this.

He felt ancient somehow, nothing disturbed him not even the thoughts of his still living brother brought anger. It didn't matter anymore; there were much bigger things than revenge he realized.

As he was pondering on this he felt a new source of energy surrounding him. He watched as crimson blur took shape of a none other than a nine tailed fox. It circled around him and stopped before him extending itself and morphing into yet another shape, a shape of a boy, a very familiar boy. Sasuke watched as the features sharpened into the image of Naruto.

"Naruto"

"Sasuke you are not dead" the blue-eyed boy said sincerely as thought it was not an important matter at all.

"But I am not alive" Sasuke did not doubt the blonde's words but he knew there was something else and he knew he was not living.

"True" Naruto smiled his genuine smile and extended his hand forward.

"You are neither. You might not know this, but demons are not that far off in nature from humans, in fact humans can become demons… ", he paused watching Sasuke's eyes attentively, then continued.

"You have accepted our conditions and we, in turn, yours and now you stand on the line between a nature of a human and a demon. Take my hand Sasuke, soon you will understand"

A soft smile graced kitsune's features as his friend slowly reached out and placed his hand onto the other's. For a moment there was nothing but then suddenly everything flowed and swirled.

Naruto's red chakra reached out and enveloped his rival and seeped into him, into his heart. Sasuke, if asked later to explain what happened, would not be able to word all that he felt and experienced for what seemed to be centuries. So much power and knowledge overcame him in an instant he even forgot of his own identity.

As the red energy danced inside and all around him, another source of energy, a dark shade of violet, started to form inside of him, expending and gaining power. It was his own but at the same time it was not his, it was much more powerful and ancient, and mainly it was not that of a human. Then, unable to keep track of his consciousness, he fell into that source, drowning himself in its majesty.

Well, here goes the third part of this story. Thank you very much for reviewing :) and to clarify things a bit: Naruto had to make a deal with Kyuubi in order to convince the demon to help Sasuke. But the deal and the rest of the details will be revealed later on, for there is a twist.

Let me know if you like it so far.

Thanks again : )


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Nope, do not own Naruto.

**Warning**: scenes of graphic violence.

**Chapter 3 – To be Reborn**

It felt warm, very warm and comfortable. He could hear the morning birds carrying out their songs, the wind rustling the leaves right outside his window, the clock ticking somewhere in the background. All in all it was a usual morning for Sasuke to wake up to, but wait, something did not add up in his half awaken mind.

He slowly opened his eyes to look at his surroundings trying to make sense of them. He was getting pretty annoyed to be finding himself so disoriented at where he was so often. Yes, indeed, this was definitely his room and it was definitely an early morning and everything should have been normal except for the fact that nothing seemed to be normal in the past week for him.

Straining to get up, he noticed that his body felt a bit sore but then he remembered the training and the extra session of sparring with his old-times rival later that night, and at the last thought his face turned deathly white.

His hand reached towards his heart feeling the smooth and un-bruised skin on his chest. That was not right, not right at all. He remembered sparring, remembered being knocked down to the ground, the feel of the cold steel against his chest and then he remembered dying…

'What the hell is going on! I am supposed to be dead am I not? Was it a dream?'

Those questions were indeed very hard to answer as he bolted out of his bed to examine his whole body. No gashes, nothing broken, just a bit sore and then he stared at the skin right where his heart was, there was something out of place there. There was a dark mark that somewhat resembled a seal, it seemed like it was underneath his skin. It was some kind of ancient symbol that he did not know the meaning of.

After getting used to an idea of being alive and finding a weird mark on his body, he couldn't help but wonder how he got to his house and to his own bed at that matter.

'Naruto must have carried me here after … after whatever had happened' That must be it. It made perfect sense, but then why did he remember being dead and floating and talking to the nine-tailed demon?

As much as he would liked to spend the rest of his days pondering on this puzzle he could not afford to be late for their usual meeting especially when Kakashi said they had a mission today.

Shoving all his questions and confusion in the farthest corner of his consciousness, Sasuke decided that it is better not dwell on it for now. It might, after all, been some kind of dream inspired by all the recent occurrences. And thus, he ran out of his house towards the infamous bridge.

Naruto sat crossed cross-legged on the ground rambling about everything and anything that came to his mind while his pink-haired teammate was deep in her own world daydreaming of her obsession, who was now walking up to them, stoic as ever.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Ohh, demons, how he hated that voice and that face, but he was a Uchiha after all, and Uchihas did not lose their cool so easily.

"Hn"

"Morning Sasuke-bastard" Naruto's voice was as cheerful as ever, nothing could ever bother him it seemed.

"Morning, Dobe" The raven-head decided he could not bring himself to look in the eyes of his rival, which haunted his trouble mind since he was brought back, so he settled on watching the river instead.

After another half an hour their sensei finally made his entrance in a usual puff of smoke. Just like any other day there was an excuse and loud "LIAR!" but that was to be expected, nothing out of ordinary, Sasuke noted.

"Yo, today we have a mission"

The cheers of pure joy resonated through the whole forest as the certain blonde kept bouncing up and down.

'Strange how he acts so carefree and childish in front of others, but there is so much more on the inside that he's hiding. You are truly a mystery Naruto Kitsune'

Sasuke mused while watching the hyperactive blonde, satisfied with the fact that only he knew the real Naruto. But then again, did he really know his friend or was it just some stupid prank or maybe a game played out solely by the demon inside. That made Sasuke wonder how much of a real Naruto he has seen and how much of it was the fox doing.

Sasuke's attention was averted back to their teacher when Kakashi started to explain the details of their mission. It turned out to be a B class mission on which they had to spy on a certain suspicious man who was currently staying in their village. The character seemed to be involved in some black market business and might be a very sophisticated thief. They were to follow him around until he meets with his contact and then they were to gather as much information as possible, while keeping track of all involved parties. Nothing team 7 couldn't handle.

The sun shone brightly onto the streets of Konoha where a pink-haired girl in her teens sat outside of a small restaurant casually drinking a glass of cool lemonade. She lifted her hand towards her hair as thought it needed a little "fix up" and at that moment a pair of blue eyes, which were watching her attentively turned to a raven-haired boy beside him in all knowing wink.

"He's here" the blonde muttered while casually walking across the street followed by his friend.

"Be carefull not to attract too much attention, Dobe"

"Ohh, you know me better than that, Sasuke-bastard" the blonde smirked deviously at his friend before continuing on with their cover up operation.

The two boys came to a stop on the corner of an alley and pretended to be browsing through some random magazines while watching the suspicious character. The man was some what tall, in his mid 20s, dressed in dark clothing and held a small package in one of his hands. The suspect stopped in front of some small boutique where he had said something to the owner, who went inside right away. After a brief wait another man came out with a bag and handed it to the suspect while taking the package and leaving in opposite direction. Sasuke quickly glanced to Sakura, who understood right away and slowly got up to follow the guy. While that was taken care of, he and Naruto had to make sure not to lose their primary suspect from their sight.

After some hiding and running they found their victim heading out of town and into the forest, to which they followed. Not more than 5 minutes later the suspect disappeared without a trace.

Startled and confused ninjas decided to break up to look in different directions. Sasuke making his way around the trees, in a hurry, looking for any trace of the stranger did not notice the kunai that flew straight towards him and when he did, it was too late and as much as he tried to avert it, the blade cut through his flesh and settled deeply in his left shoulder.

Sasuke spotted the attacker and despite the pain went after him in a lightning speed, rage filling him. The guy turned out to be a ninja as well and a good one at that. He evaded most of the boy's attacks and managed to pin Sasuke to the nearest tree while plugging yet another kunai in the boy's abdomen.

"They shouldn't have sent such a pathetic excuse for a ninja after me, too bad boy, you have to die now" the guy chuckled as he watched the blood spilling out of the pale teenager but his laughter seized at once when the boy reached out with his right hand and took out both of the kunai throwing them both aside. But what really made the older ninja uneasy was that the wounds that should have been fatal were starting to heal in an incredible rate, leaving no trace behind.

"You think I am pathetic, don't you?" An evil smirk played on Uchiha's lips as he felt an incredible power surging through him and healing his wounds. He knew it was not the cursed seal; it was much more powerful than the seal could ever be. The energy that was filling him gave him a sense of hunger, hunger for blood, pure blood-lust.

He stood firmly, his eyes hidden by his dark locks while his body started to emit an unbelievable amount of chakra forming a blazing dark purple aura all around him and lashing out towards the freighted ninja, blocking all means of escape.

Sasuke raised his head and glared into the eyes of the petrified man. The man knew he was going to die, never before did he know of such power, it resembled a demon not a human. He watched as the boy's eyes drowned in blood and the black dots swirled in them, the sharingan eyes. He watched as the boy's hands prolonged and the nails extended to form sharp claws. He saw sharp canines making their way out from under the creature's lips. He stared in horrific fascination as the foreign chakra morphed into a beast with many tails and blazing midnight blue fur.

The demon stalked towards the terrified human mocking him with an inhuman grin.

"Who is the pathetic one now?" the demon growled before digging its claws deep in the offender's neck and ripping the skin to pieces. The sense of intense pleasure came over the beast as he heard the pained screams of his victim as he tore the tender flesh mercilessly.

Sasuke didn't stop after the heartbeat seized its pace, he ravished the man's body, tearing it to pieces with his teeth and claws until he felt his blood hunger subdue.

"You are quiet a messy one!" An amused voice ranged from somewhere above.

The demon turned sharply in the direction of the new voice, growling. Up in the trees he saw something move before it landed right in front on him with a feline grace.

Naruto made a face at the display of blood and gore and turned to his companion with an amused smirk.

"You such a blood-thirsty bastard, Sasuke-teme"

A glint of recognition passed in the blood red eyes of the beast as they turned back to their midnight black and his form changed back to his human body.

As he surveyed the scene around him his knees gave out and he collapsed on the ground and a great feeling of nausea overtook him. The blonde boy kneeled down in front of his companion placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry about this too much… you'll learn how to control it eventually. Just don't be so messy the next time you decide to rip someone's throat out, ok?" Naruto said softly before standing up and moving towards the mess to look for the bag that the man was caring.

Sasuke felt sick and dizzy. He knew he was different now, he felt it. Suddenly he became very afraid, afraid of what he has become.

'So that's what Kyuubi meant when he talked about giving me power. But how is this possible? And what does he want in return from me?'

Cold sweat broke down from his body as the raven-haired boy forced himself not to go in denial and face the facts head on. Ohh it was not a pleasant reality to face and most of all what bothered him was Naruto's calm attitude towards the whole deal. Was Naruto the nine-tails or did the blonde really lost his mind and became like this himself, just like his brother. That thought made him shudder. His brother, the one that killed his whole clan without a trace of guilt or regret, was the reason why Sasuke sought power, to avenge. But now he wondered. Was Naruto just like his brother?

'No, it can't be, the blonde always protected everyone and was determined to be a Hokage one day. But can it all be a pretense? Am I becoming just like him?…like Itachi…'

Naruto's voice broke Sasuke's inner dispute and made him look up into the endless pools of sky blue.

"Don't think too hard, Sasuke. You are what you are, and you became what you are out of your own will, so don't blame yourself too hard. "

Naruto smiled at the confused and scared boy in front of him as if to say "It's ok, everything will be ok".

"I am not a human anymore, am I?" A quiet but firm voice broke the short silence.

"You are and you are not, you are a creature of a human and a demon, you were reborn, and today is your first new birthday, Sasuke-kun"

The demon boy simply nodded, getting grip of his self control once more he raised himself off the ground and walked a bit further away from the offensive sight of his previous work.

"What are we going to tell Kakashi? And the body…"

"Here, Sasuke, hold on to this." The blonde gave the other boy the contents of the bag which surprisingly didn't hold any trace of blood. It was one of the important scrolls that were held in the Hokage tower, stolen for sure.

"We can say we fought him and were able to retrieve the scroll but the thief got away. Even if they don't believe us, they won't be able to prove otherwise after I'm done with this mess." The blonde said in a usual voice but in a tone that permitted no objections as he turned towards the body.

Naruto soaked his fingers in the blood of the thief and closed his eyes, fully concentrating on the sticky substance on his fingertips. Sasuke watched this with slight interest not really understanding how his companion planed to get rid of the dead body. But he soon found himself once again startled by the blonde. He watched as the red chakra swirled around Naruto's hand and then shot outwards into every bit of flesh and blood on the ground incinerating it instantly.

Just as it came, it was gone and there was no trace of previous slaughter. Even Sasuke's clothes were cleaned by this unusual, but a very effective method. The blonde opened his eyes and turned towards the startled Uchiha. Wordless agreement passed between the two as they looked into each others eyes before heading back towards the village to return the scroll and report their findings. At least they won't have to worry about this certain character coming back any longer, for where he has gone there was no coming back, at least not for him.

- - - - -

Another chapter completed, I hope you guys enjoying the story. Although it might not seem like it yet, it is definitely a yaoi Naruto x Sasuke story. I promise that. But before I get to the yummy parts I want to establish the main plot.

Anyways, thanks a lot for reviewing : ) it really helps and motivates to write more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Nope, do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 4 – The Hidden Soul**

"Kyuubi…?"

A constant chime of water falling onto the hard surface sounded almost like a sad lullaby to the young boy with sun-kissed hair and sky blue eyes. Curled up against the cold metal bars he snuggled closer to the heat and comfort of the crimson blazing fur that surrounded his small lithe body.

"Yeah, Kit?" A deep thoughtful voice full of wisdom responded just as softly.

"Do you think he hates us? You saw how disgusted and terrified he was after… after he found out what we did to him…"

The boy said hesitantly, gazing up with eyes filled with sadness and uncertainty to meet the blood soaked tranquil eyes of the demon.

"He chose his own path, Kit. And what he has become… he already was … we just helped him realize his other self. You know as well as I do that there is a demon in every human, but only few are powerful enough to become a true demon and control that power. The Uchiha boy is one of those few and so is his brother."

The fox's voice was soft and soothing almost caring as he curled one of his nine tails around the boy's shoulders in comforting gesture.

"Itachi" Naruto's voice sipped with anger but at the same time it held great pity for the man who had murdered his whole clan and lived a life without anyone to care about or anyone who cared about him.

"Yes, that boy is very talented and strong. He would make a great demon, no doubt, but his lust after power will only result in his end. But maybe he will realize what is most precious to him before it's too late." The demon mused.

"And what is that? What does he value more than power?" Naruto, although he hated Itachi, felt some sort of sympathy towards the cold-hearted man and was curious to find out if there was really more to the mysterious Uchiha than he realized.

"His brother, Sasuke… That is why he still continues living, even if he doesn't want to admit it yet, he loves his brother."

"Do you think that somewhere deep inside Sasuke feels the same? Do you think he could ever forgive Itachi for what he had done?" The blonde asked staring somewhere into the distance, feeling content to be able to freely voice his troubles and worries without the fear of being shunned.

"I do not know if the young Uchiha could ever forgive his brother but I do believe that there are deeper feelings than hate lurking in his heart."

The boy simply nodded and the silence filled the void in-between the chimes once again.

- - - - - -

Sasuke woke up with a start. All he could see were those deep red eyes everywhere he looked; they intruded into his consciousness and imprinted themselves there forever.

When he slept he dreamt of them, when he fought he felt them watching, even when he tried to think of his brother it wasn't the same anymore. He felt trapped, trapped in his own need and desire to feel those eyes on him, to fall into their depths and feel their power. He panicked.

The Uchiha heir dressed frantically, almost tripping over himself. This loss of control was unheard of and it only made his fear grow. He was glad they had a day off today, no missions, no training, no Kakashi's knowing gaze, no Sakura's annoying pestering, but no Naruto as well. And he just couldn't have that. As much as it disturbed Sasuke he could not resist the urge to see his teammate, for what he wasn't sure. He blamed it all on the thing he had become, on his unseen connection to the nine-tails and even then it didn't make him feel better.

With as much dignity as he could master, the young Uchiha raced towards the only place he would find the elixir to his "sickness".

The urgent knocks on the door startled the sole occupant of the small apartment from his resting place in the middle of the wooden floor. Groggily the blond made his way towards the disturbance with none too cheerful of an attitude.

"Yeah, yeah, break down the door for all I care" Naruto voiced his annoyance when he was in the hearing range of the intruder on the other side of the door, "Sasuke teme"

"How did you… "The door opened half way to let in the disturbed Uchiha in, "never mind." Sasuke decided that it was better not to question how the blonde sensed him although he made sure to thoroughly hide his chakra signature.

"So, what brings you here this early?" For the first time that morning the Uchiha felt very unsure of what to do or say, he almost felt ashamed for giving in to some ridicules notions and coming here. "Sasuke, ne, today's our day off isn't?" The fact that he just now noticed Naruto's state did not help in the slightest. Naruto had the "I just woke up" look clad only in black slacks and no shirt of any sort whatsoever. He presented a rather exotic view with his lithe partially covered body and messy golden locks that got almost long enough to touch his shoulders but not quite.

"Susuke!" That seemed to have worked. Sasuke was startled out of his musings so rapidly that he almost tripped over himself… again.

"Dobe!" Anger was the best retaliation technique in the Uchiha's guide to retain one's dignity.

"Hey you kind of spaced out back there so I had to do something, you know?" The blond scratched the back of his head innocently while the Uchiha continued his venomous glare.

"Alright, Sasuke what do you want" No more pretense, straight to the point.

"I…" But the Uchiha did not know what to answer, nor did he know what exactly he wanted from the blond. "Something strange had been happening to me since… since I…"

"Since you became a demon" A simple statement devoid of any emotion but it made Sasuke cringe and wish to deny it although he knew it made no sense to reject what he so openly welcomed.

"I can't even feel the same hatred towards Itachi anymore!" Sasuke spat, now completely loosing control over his confusing emotions.

"I can't think of anything else!" The young Uchiha was now subconsciously getting closer to his blonde teammate while the other was moving backwards.

"I can't even sleep any more with out seeing Them!" A dangerous sort of confidence was now spreading through the raven-head and he felt the chills of excitement run down his spine.

"Everywhere I look I see them looking into me, into my soul" He hissed low voice dangerously close to the other's face. Naruto was flat against the wall now, only few centimeters separated him and his maddened friend, but as a flick of light bulb everything seemed to reverse.

The Uchiha didn't have time to comprehend what took place he only realized that now he was the one cornered flat to the old wooden floor with the other holding him almost painfully immobile to the dusty surface. Then he saw that what he sought, the eyes no longer innocent pure blue but deep red reeking of power and death. They enthralled and mesmerized him.

"Well Uchiha, what is it that troubles you so much?" The low growl emitted from behind the sharp canines of the Kyuubi as he leaned in closer to the frozen Uchiha.

'Your eyes', Sasuke wanted to say but couldn't breathe a word; he was trapped in fear and anticipation of the moment. Unbidden, his body responded to the power of the creature above him, every fiber ablaze with desire.

The said creature had not missed the change in those deep black eyes, now clouded with lust and the beautifully carved pale body beneath his own. He dived in for the kill.

Their lips met fast and hot, Kyuubi's fangs piercing the soft tissue without care. The blood filled both of their mouths sending their senses in overdrive with desire and blood-lust. The tongues danced in a deadly duel as did their chakra. Blood red and deep purple: fighting, merging and enveloping each other with the entire world forgotten.

All too fast it all came to abrupt end as the blonde roughly pushed off the black-haired teen and crawled away as fast and as far away as was possible leaving behind the confused semi-demon.

Sasuke's mind was reeling with all the emotions and sensations just experienced and could not comprehend in the slightest why the other had left. Finally finding enough self control he sat up and looked in the direction of the other demon but all he saw was a small frightened boy with sad sky clear eyes of endless blue and crystal tears running down his soft cheeks.

"Naruto?" He managed to croak out while slowly trying to get closer to the other.

"Go away Sasuke" He heard the calm but barely audible words and his confusion was turning into anger. It was not his fault, Naruto was the one that advanced on him, he was the one that started this, why was he getting rejected now when it was Naruto who had offered it. 'Or was it Kyuubi?' the thought ran unbidden in his barely working mind as he still refused to move, until he heard the plea so soft and sad it felt like a knife in his heart. "Please"

Not a second later he was gone, out the still swinging window, into the waking streets, out of the view of the sad blue eyes that watched longingly after him.


End file.
